On Saturday, November 22nd, AEW returned to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, for its big event, “Full Gear.” The event was headlined by ‘Hangman’ Adam Page defending his AEW World Championship against Samoa Joe inside a steel cage, in a rivalry that has become very personal.
We also saw Kris Statlander put her AEW Women’s Championship on the line against Mercedes Mone, The Young Bucks team up with Josh Alexander to face off with Kenny Omega and Jurassic Express, the crowning of the inaugural AEW National Champion, and so much more. So, what were the top three moments of the night?
3. Ricochet Wins the AEW National Championship
One of the big marquee matches on the card saw the Casino Gauntlet match make its return. The only difference with this one compared to previous ones was that this one was to crown the first-ever AEW National Champion. Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin started this match out together, while former AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson was on commentary.
Ricochet was the third participant, but he had a trick up his sleeve. He had his running mates, the Gates of Agony, attack Lashley and Benjamin from behind to try and gain the upper hand. We also saw the likes of Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Orange Cassidy, Kevin Knight, Roderick Strong, Mark Davis, Mike Bailey, and Matt Menard enter this match.
The finish saw Ricochet hit Knight with his Spirit Gun finisher for the win. Putting the title on Ricochet seems to work in the moment, given his ongoing feud with The Hurt Syndicate. It will be sweet when he drops the title to either Bobby Lashley or Shelton Benjamin down the line, but he is the first-ever AEW National Champion. It’s a nice nod for Ricochet from AEW to recognize his talent. His annoying self aside, Ricochet is truly a fantastic competitor when the bell rings.
2. The Young Bucks Reform The Elite
In perhaps one of the most shocking moments of the night, we saw Matt and Nick Jackson, collectively known as The Young Bucks, team up with Josh Alexander to take on the team of The Young Bucks’ former friends, Kenny Omega and Jurassic Express, Jack Perry & Luchasaurus.
The finish of the match saw the Young Bucks take out Perry with a BTE Trigger for the win. However, the bigger story is what happened after the match. The Young Bucks have their briefcase with $1,000,000 inside, and Don Callis grabs the mic and welcomes the Bucks to the Don Callis Family. This leads to the DCF attacking Omega, and the Bucks seemingly conflicted on who to side with.
The Bucks throw away the prize money and rush to the ring. They clear the ring before shaking hands with the Jurassic Express. We then see a reunion of The Elite as the trio hug it out to cap off the segment. A great match followed by the highly-anticipated reunion between three of the founding members of All Elite Wrestling. The Don Callis Family now has two more people to worry about after making enemies of almost the entire AEW babyface roster.
1. Samoa Joe wins the AEW World Championship, Swerve Returns
The main event of the show saw ‘Hangman’ Adam Page put his AEW World Championship on the line against Samoa Joe. Page and Joe went to yet another war over the top prize in the sport. However, this time we saw a much different ending than when they last faced off. Joe was much more dangerous this time around.
The match was a bloody mess, which was expected. The referee was knocked out, and Hook came out to supposedly help wake the referee up. However, he turned heel, knocking Page out with a belt shot to the face. This led to Joe getting the win and entering his second reign as the AEW World Champion. This came as a bit of a surprise, as many fans, myself included, didn’t think Page would lose the title this soon, especially after the wars he had with the Death Riders to even win the title.
The lights went out in the arena. When the lights came back on, they showed a house burning. Prince Nana was there with his coffee. It was the return of Swerve Strickland, who is back after having knee surgery a few months back. Page was standing beside Swerve, looking united, while Joe left with the AEW World Title and The Opps by his side. Page and Swerve stood tall in the ring. End show. The final image of the two standing side-by-side was massive. It appears we will be entering the next big rivalry, which will more than likely see Page team up with Swerve against The Opps.
